I been putting off buying a floor pump for ages, thinking the hand pumps were just barely doing the job. As the hand pumps were getting to their limit, I would feel the tyre and think "ahhhh, good enough".
NOT!!!
I got a Beto alloy barrel floor pump with guage and it read 50psi... wtf? I imagined it was more like 75psi+... but no...
I then pumped away and it went up 5psi per plung to over 100psi with unbelieveable ease in seconds... wow... and the tyre is rock hard...
So any novice road rider like me who thinks a floor pump may be a waste of money, think again... 😄
When I brought a bike back in 2000, the shop owner encouraged me to buy a floor pump, they were a bit more expensive then, perhaps AU$85 if I remember correctly. I have even used it to pump up car tyres. Today it is still like brand new.
There are some dud floor pumps. There are some that don't have a gauge and if the barrel is too fat, you won't get high enough pressures.
This is the Beto I got. Very good quality and even the guage is of good quality. I seen some guages on these floor pumps that look like they come off a $2 toy...
i bought a Silca to replace the 12 year old Silca that got stolen. all metal construction- easy operation- accurate gauge- fully rebuildable- looks like it was made in 1945...
but absolutely flawless and it'll probably outlast your next three bike frames.
if you ride alot, then youre using your pump maybe everyday. and its a nice way to start your ride, with a good pump.
bad pumps (read: cheap ones) are such a pain in the ass. the're flimsy, the chucks either dont bite enough so they pop off half way up the gauge, or they bite too much and throw your hand into the spokes when you try to detach.
i guess we're getting a little esoteric here- but it might be like a wine connoisseur elaborating about his favorite glass.
i bought a Silca to replace the 12 year old Silca that got stolen. all metal construction- easy operation- accurate gauge- fully rebuildable- looks like it was made in 1945...
but absolutely flawless and it'll probably outlast your next three bike frames.
if you ride alot, then youre using your pump maybe everyday. and its a nice way to start your ride, with a good pump.
bad pumps (read: cheap ones) are such a pain in the ass. the're flimsy, the chucks either dont bite enough so they pop off half way up the gauge, or they bite too much and throw your hand into the spokes when you try to detach.
i guess we're getting a little esoteric here- but it might be like a wine connoisseur elaborating about his favorite glass.
My Silca is 15yrs old and I've had to service it once a few years ago which cost not much for a new washer. When we were doing serious miles on the tandem with 700x23c tyres we would run the tyres at 130-140psi. Not fun by hand even with an HPX. I love my Silca...........
